In the blink of an eye, more than an hour later.
Richard and Glo left White Rock Tower Academy and appeared in a tavern in White Rock City.
This tavern called "Salt and Fire" is a very ordinary one in the whole White Rock City - it's not big or small, the food is not bad, the service is not good, and everything is average. The main reason why Richard and Glo chose it was that it was not far from White Rock Tower Academy and they didn't have to walk a lot. After all, the two of them were just going to take a brief rest and have lunch.
Because of the daytime, there were not many people in the lobby of the tavern, and the occupancy rate was only about 30%. Most people were sitting here and there, eating in a deserted manner. In the corner, there was a circle of people sitting around a long table, talking loudly and drinking. It was the only excitement.
In the middle of the hall, there is a high platform. Sitting on the high platform was a woman in her thirties, wearing green clothes and having an average face. At this time, the other party was strumming a harp and singing something in a low voice with a gentle rhythm, which sounded relaxing, but that was all.
Compared with the professional artists in big pubs, the women's playing and singing are a bit old-fashioned, and because they are unskilled, they often mistune the tunes. Fortunately, most people in the tavern didn't know how to appreciate it, and no one was making noises.
In the corner, Richard and Grot were sitting at a square table. Richard was thinking about things while listening to the sound of a woman singing on the high platform.
I have to say that through talking to Bucky, I got a lot of information that needs to be digested.
The first is the identity of the girl Ruth. According to Bucky, she is a real kind of princess. She has never been angry or tired since she was a child, so she cleaned the room by herself before, so she behaved like that. Oops.
The country where the other party is located is a wizarding country, so the reason why the other party came to White Rock Tower Academy is probably not to become a wizard, but to see more and understand the wizarding world.
The extent to which the other party is rich is also exaggerated. He can actually lend money to others to such an extent that he cannot afford to repay it and uses his body as a mortgage. I am afraid that his net worth is more than 100,000 gold coins, or hundreds of high-end crystal coins. In comparison, a prince like Grotto is simply a parallel import - after all, when he was in Emerald City, Grotto emptied all his savings and only got less than 10,000 gold coins.
And then there's Ruth's country.
According to Bucky, the reason why Ruth is so rich is entirely because the country she lives in is a remnant of a former empire. This should be true.
According to what I learned from reading books in the library these days, on the East Coast, there were indeed several wizard empires that integrated wizards, royal power, and churches, and they carried out a long-term black reign of terror.
Later, a series of accidents occurred, which led to the division of several empires, leading to the current situation where there are many small countries and densely populated wizard organizations on the east coast.
For this reason, relatively powerful wizard organizations like the White Stone Tower are highly vigilant about kingdoms that have the potential to develop into new empires, lest the black rule of the past come again. Macbeth goes to Egypt to assassinate the king, which is an obvious example.
I just don’t know whether the country Ruth is in is the remnant of that empire. According to records, the oldest one seems to be called the "Barentenon Empire", and the latest one is called the "Black Spirit Empire".
In addition, the situation where the antique ring got hot earlier today in the library should also be taken seriously.
The strange appearance of the ancient ring is most likely related to the secret of the White Stone Tower that Mullen told about, but what exactly is the secret of the White Stone Tower
Richard thought this way. After the waiter in the tavern finished serving the guests at the previous table, he walked over and handed the two menus to Richard and Gro.
Richard retracted his thoughts and looked at the menu.
Gro next to him spoke up and ordered: "Bring me a piece of white bread, a piece of broth, a piece of fried mushrooms, a piece of lettuce, a piece of good beef... Um, this is a bit expensive, forget it, I'll take it. The first few."
"Yes." The clerk nodded in agreement, a little contemptuously, and then turned to look at Richard.
Richard spoke out, but it was simpler than Gro: "One piece of white bread, a small plate of jam, and a portion of mushroom soup."
The waiter's eyes couldn't help but become more contemptuous, thinking that he might have met two poor people.
Richard ignored it, handed the menu back, and put a silver coin on it: "Tip."
The boy's eyes lit up instantly, and his contempt turned into respect. No matter what, it’s the uncle who gives the tip. As long as you tip well and drink a glass of water, you will be well served.
Of course, Richard didn't give a tip for nothing, and made a request: "The bread must be fresh, not overnight, the jam must not be adulterated, and the mushroom soup must not be served until it is cold. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" The waiter nodded vigorously, took the menu and tip and left quickly.
Not long after, the food requested by Richard and Glo was delivered. Richard began to eat, and while eating, he continued to think about what he had been thinking about before.
But Gro started talking.
"Your Excellency Richard." Gro looked at Richard and asked, "What do you think of Professor April the Wizard's "Popular Introduction to Apprenticeship"?"
Richard looked up, saw Gro, and asked, "What do you think?"
"Me..." Gro said, "I think I should take some elective studies. After all, I haven't even completed three life reshapings. I just read the book but can't understand it. Maybe it can be faster if there is someone to guide me. And the course It will start next week, so it’s not too late to sign up now.”
"In this case, what else is there to say? Let's study." Richard said, "You have already made up your mind."
"Um...it's just money..." Gloria hesitated.
"What happened to the money?" Richard asked, "Are the elective courses not enough?"
"No, no." Gro shook his head, "I mean, the money I borrowed from you may not be repaid for the time being."
"When I helped you board the giant ship in Cuijin City, which high-end crystal coin I paid?" Richard asked.
"Yes, yes." Gro said, "Now you and I both know that a high-grade crystal coin is almost a thousand gold coins, and I only have nearly a thousand gold coins in total now. If I want to take some courses with high fees, I won’t give you this money for the time being, I can only think of a way slowly, so... "
"It doesn't matter." Richard said calmly. He really didn't care about this kind of thing. "Just think of it as my early investment to help you become a wizard. If you still have any difficulties in the future, you can also ask me I can lend you money as long as the amount is not large. Wait until you become a real wizard and then pay it back to me."
"Becoming a real wizard?" Gro's eyes flickered, looking slightly confused. "It feels so far away. I'm not sure if I can be promoted to a second-level apprentice in three years."
"Then you have to work hard."
"Uh, okay." Gro said and started to continue eating. At the same time, I made up my mind to study hard. Otherwise, I would be sorry for him abandoning his status as a prince to come here to endure hardship, and I would be even more sorry for His Excellency Richard's help to him all the time.
Then, he heard something like a strange noise behind him, followed by...
"puff!"
Gro felt a strong force coming from him, but before he could react, Richard pressed his hand into the bowl of broth in front of him.